Snapshots in Time
by Zuppi
Summary: A series of ficlets that explores the relationship between Edward and Winry. EdWin
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters contained within this fanfiction. It is the property of Hiromu Arakawa, Square Enix Co., Ltd.'s and Monthly Shonen Gangan. I simply worship and adore... and sometimes write fic.  
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Spoilers and setting: **A theme challenge I've decided to undertake to keep myself entertained. This is a series of drabbles/short one shots that centers around the relationship between Edward and Winry. They are presented in a non-linear fashion and so jump about in time from theme to theme. There are 50 themes in total and I intend to have approximately five to a chapter. I hope you enjoy!

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**#01 – Comfort**

She acts strong, blasé even, as she attaches the automail and he cries out in pain. She tells him it's not that bad, that he should be used to it by now and goes about cleaning up her wrenches and pliers. Her hair is freed from her bandana while he winces and moans, twisting in an attempt to get comfortable, to ease the biting pain shooting up and down his arm and branching across his chest.

She acts strong but that doesn't stop her pushing the hair back off his sweaty forehead or from pressing her lips to his temple.

**#02 - Kiss**

She knows his exact measurements and dimensions, has memorised the length of his limbs and the shape of his torso. Intellectually she knows these things and is aware of how his body is shifting and changing as the years go by, but she is still taken aback when she notices how broad his shoulders have become or how much bigger his hand is than hers.

But it is not until the day she has to stand on tiptoe in order to press her lips to his that it finally hits home; he's becoming a man.

**#03 - Soft**

She's as obsessed as he is really. They're so similar in that way. Alchemy consumes him and he thinks of the world in formulae and equations. She watches the movement of limbs and flexing of muscles, her mind a maelstrom of steel and fibres. When he comes to her with a broken arm and bandages she berates and fumes at him before throwing herself head first into re-building her masterpiece.

He has to bring her food because she will work through lunch. Her days end when she falls asleep over her workbench, hair splayed out around her like summer-ripened wheat. If he wakes her she'll only go back to work so he has taken to picking her up and carrying her to her bedroom. She snuggles against him, whimpering as consciousness begins to drift closer.

He lays her gently on the bed, pulling the covers around her and smiles as she settles back to sleep.

One night she took him by the wrist and whispered to him.

"Stay with me."

He was glad the darkness obscured his furious blush as he pulled back the covers with a trembling hand and settled down beside her.

**#04 - Pain**

They never really talk about it. It's a subject still painful for all of them even after all these years. Losing a parent is always hard even without the circumstances surrounding the ways in which they lost theirs.

Though it's the happiest day of her life, Winry's heart still aches just a little that it is who Al links arms with her, tells her how radiant she looks and then walks her down the isle.

The sudden bitterness dissolves when she catches sight of Ed standing in front of his military comrades looking nervous and handsome and painfully adorable.

**#05 - Potatoes**

Ed still refuses to drink milk and so Winry has to find inventive ways of slipping it to him. She borrows cookbooks from friends or buys them on her occasional visits to Central or one of the other larger cities.

She gets frustrated with his stubborn refusal to consume anything dairy. As an automail mechanic she is versed in human anatomy and knows that he must be suffering from a lack of calcium.

Even with his height complex he refuses point blank to even choke down a glass of milk and so Winry disguises it in whatever she can, stew, soup… she even slips a little milk into his fruit juices.

He sits down to lunch, the fingers of his left hand stained with blue ink. She presents him with a plate of mashed potatoes before sitting across from him. He seasons his meal with salt and pepper before he begins wolfing down his meal.

She smiles at him and he glances at her. "What?" It is mumbled around a mouthful.

"You like it?" She beams brightly.

He smiles back, nodding enthusiastically before returning his attention to the mashed potatoes in front of him.

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_I hope you enjoyed this short piece. Reviews are always welcome, as is constructive criticism._

_Edited to add: Special thanks to S J Smith for catching typos and tense changes! Thanks!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's notes: **Hmm... I'm not really sure how to explain what's going on here. I had intended to stick to the short ficlet format but #06-10 were running a little longer than I wanted and so I've decided to split #06-10 up into two up-dates. I'm still tweaking #08 but hopefully I'll have it posted sooner rather than later.

Thanks to everyone who review the previous chapter. You made my day!

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**#06 - Rain**

She has never really believed in those old wife's tales.

_Touch a toad and you'll get warts!_

_Going outside with wet hair will give you a cold!_

_Cracking your knuckles will give you arthritis!_

In the past, she has rolled her eyes over her Granny's warnings about the weather because 'my hip is acting up'.

Tonight Ed is tossing and turning in an attempt to sleep. He clutches at his metal joints and winces. She smoothes the hair from his forehead and kisses his mouth but he sighs in pain regardless.

The next morning is clear and bright but she does not hang the newly washed clothes out to dry. By noon thunderclouds are already gathering on the horizon.

**#07 - Chocolate**

His intentions had been completely honourable the first time they kissed. She still doesn't believe him and he supposes he can see her point. But, honestly, it wasn't like he had planned it!

Yes, Al and Granny had both been out of the house but that was the reason he had to go into her room in the first place. He actually _had_ wanted some toast and really, it's partly Winry's fault for re-organising the kitchen.

It was partly her fault for looking so alluring, lying stretched out across the bed, her long legs crossed at the ankle and her rear barely covered by one of her legendary mini-skirts. He is a man, after all.

She rolled her eyes at him and got up from her indulgence, an automail journal and a slab a bittersweet chocolate.

It was partly her fault for being a sloppy eater and having a smudge of dark chocolate on her bottom lip.

However, it was completely his fault for deciding the best way to notify her of this was to kiss her nervously, his tongue darting out to lick at her bottom lip and the offending chocolate.

Sometimes when his duty takes him away from her, he indulges himself too. He'll buy a slab of bittersweet chocolate and remember.

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_So that's it for now. The next few ficlets should be up soon. _

_As always reviews are adored! Constructive criticism especially so._

_Edited to add: Special thanks to S J Smith for catching typos and tense changes! Thanks!__  
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	3. Chapter 3

**Author's notes: **Just two today. I'm going to try and up-date twice a week, perhaps two drabbles at a time. I'll try and stick to the schedule anyway!

I hope you enjoy these two. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapters! Much love to you all!

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**#08 - Happiness**

It's sitting with Al in his library, debating the latest theory one of them has developed… feverishly scribbled notes and equations, smudged ink and furrowed brows.

It's lazing on the porch with Pinako, talking about everything and nothing, while Den hides in the shade from the mid-day sun.

It's sending Mustang and Hawkeye on their way with a cheery "Hell no" to their request of him to rejoin the military.

But mostly it's lazing about with Winry, sitting by the river and watching the sun slowly descend as she strokes her fingers through his hair and softly mutters "I love you."

**#09 - Telephone**

He only ever calls when he has a purpose. She has learned this over the years. Even that time he and Al called to she if she arrived in Rush Valley safely… he eventually confessed their true reason for checking up on her.

Because of this she believes she is entirely justified in assuming the worst when it is his voice that greets her down the line. Winry has always believed in learning from the past and so it is perfectly logical that, upon hearing Ed address her meekly, she assumes he has broken his automail.

She is in full rant mode when he eventually manages to get through to her that, no he did not damage his automail, yes, he's completely fine and, of course he's not lying to her.

So she asks the next logical question… Why did he call then?

Ed dances around the subject, asks her how the automail business is, rambles on about his research and how Al is but Winry is too confused to really carry on any kind of conversation with him. He even resorts to asking about the weather and the state of the roads.

After many awkward pauses and failed topics he proclaims he has to go.

She says goodbye, her brow furrowed in confusion.

She barely catches him mumble something before he hangs up and the line goes dead.

"Miss you, Winry."

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_So that's it for now. The next few ficlets should be up early next week. _

_As always reviews are adored! Constructive criticism especially so._


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: **Sorry for the delay in up-dating! I was distracted by other projects.

Thanks to everyone who review the previous chapters! It's very much appreciated.

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**#10 - Ears**

Ed is a loud mouth.

Really, there's no denying this. He rambles on for hours about equations and formulae, books strewn everywhere and ink staining his fingers.

He'll rant and rave endlessly if someone so much as mentions his lack of height or if Winry were to suggest he attempt to choke down a glass of milk.

But there are so many things Ed doesn't say. Words will be written all over his face but he stubbornly keeps everything locked away inside.

The loss of his mother… the loss of his limbs… What happened to Al…

Winry's not the only one to notice, Al sees it too but the grief and guilt is to close to him. He keeps his pain locked away inside too.

He doesn't talk to her, they don't even mention there's an issue but some days Ed will look at her and she'll know.

So Winry runs her fingers through his hair and listens to all the things he doesn't say.

**#11 - Sensual**

Winry has never considered herself particularly attractive. She's not oblivious to her feminine allures of course, but she wears greasy overalls and keeps her hair hidden beneath a bandana. Her hands are impregnated with dirt and grime, her fingernails are short and filthy, more often than not.

The other girls giggle at her behind their hands, their eyes widening at her sloppy demeanour. They look pretty and elegant in their floaty summer dresses, delicate hats perched on their heads.

Winry laughs at them too, vapid and shallow as they are, but some days she does wish she could be pretty and elegant too. Some days she wishes people would fawn over her, tell she looks beautiful and make her blush.

She sits at her workbench, a leg belonging to some farmer from the other valley before her. Her stomach rumbles and she decides this means lunchtime. She ties her overalls at her waist before getting up to stretch the kinks from her back.

Suddenly hands snake around her middle, (one of flesh, one of steel) and lips are pressed softly to her neck. She blushes as Ed embraces her from behind and mumbles against her ear.

"Hey sexy."

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_So that's it for now. The next few ficlets should be up soon. I'll try and up-date more frequently. I promise! _

_As always reviews are adored! Constructive criticism especially so._

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